


the way you are

by fairygi (wonderscape)



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, gotta water the woohwa tag bc it's dry af, seonghwa has bad joints, stan ATEEZ, there's some kissing, woohwa shippers are guaranteed good health and longer life, wooyoung is a basketball player
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 15:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderscape/pseuds/fairygi
Summary: wooyoung tries to taunt seonghwa into playing him in basketball during an unofficial sunday solo practice, and seonghwa has never been one to let wooyoung threaten his dignityor: seonghwa tries to play basketball, his shoelaces untie, and things go pretty well from there





	the way you are

**Author's Note:**

> the woohwa tag is kind of depressingly dry and i wanted to contribute something to it. this is really short but hopefully it's still good anyway. it's not betaed because i'm hardcore :D

"Hyung, come _on_ ," Wooyoung whines, and Seonghwa squints up at him where he's paused on the sidewalk.

"Calm down, I'm coming," he groans, continuing to fight the rest of the way up the hill to the gymnasium door. "It's not my fault I have eighty-year-old joints."

"You don't have eighty-year-old joints," Wooyoung retorts with an eye roll that is more fond than anything, but Seonghwa tolerates no disrespect and smacks his younger friend on the shoulder with his book.

"Tell that to my creaky hips."

Despite all his complaining, Seonghwa makes it to the front door only slightly out of breath. Wooyoung is still bright and energetic, bouncing on his feet like a puppy while he waits, so Seonghwa ends up feeling too old anyway. Kids these days, yeesh.

When Seonghwa finally catches up, Wooyoung tries the handle. It doesn't budge, and the older gapes at him.

"Are we locked out?" he asks. If he just had to walk up that whole damn campus for a locked door, he'll riot.

Thankfully, Wooyoung pulls a lanyard from under his shirt and shakes the key that hangs from it with a grin. "Coach let me borrow a key just in case."

"I feel like your coach shouldn't be encouraging you practicing on the school campus on a Sunday," Seonghwa points out as Wooyoung works at the lock.

"There's nothing wrong with some extra practice," replies Wooyoung. "Aha!"

He pushes the door open and begins an excited jog to the other side of the gym, where the light switch must be. With the limited sunlight filtering in through the highest windows, the older watches as Wooyoung's backpack jostles on his back with his movement. Seonghwa can't help the smile that spreads over his face. Wooyoung's just the cutest person he's ever seen, what the fuck about it?

The truth is, Seonghwa probably wouldn't have left his house today if it weren't for Wooyoung begging him to come to the gym with him, and he supposes he's grateful. The time he'd spent struggling from the student parking lot to the gym had been under a clear blue sky and a gentle sun. And even if the gym is a little stuffy, it's still nice to be here with Wooyoung. Anywhere is nice when Wooyoung is there.

And Wooyoung looks especially beautiful in here, in his element. He looks gorgeous in anything but there's something about his worn out basketball shorts and sleeveless white t-shirt that Seonghwa finds particularly attractive. Backed by thedullish orange of the gym he just looks like he belongs, smile alight and shoulders dropped back. He positively glows and maybe Seonghwa stumbles a little over his own feet, maybe he doesn't.

Seonghwa busies himself with finding a not-disgusting seat in the bleachers. He motions for Wooyoung to leave his backpack next to him and the younger complies easily, only snatching up his basketball before leaving his friend to get comfortable.

The sharp sounds of the basketball bouncing fill the stale air as Seonghwa props open his book against his knees. It's a flimsy paperback he has to read for his Lit History class, but at least it's interesting. There are monsters and curses and Seonghwa has a feeling aliens are somehow going to play into a subplot, but he's not quite sure how yet.

Unfortunately, not even his hunch about alien involvement is as interesting as watching Wooyoung. The way his body arches, forwards first as he bounces the ball, then backwards as he raises his arms with it, muscles flexing all the way down to his shins. There's so much power in Wooyoung's body and Seonghwa has never not been mesmerized by it.

Then Wooyoung's abs flex hard as he shoots. Seonghwa focuses a little more than he should on this fact—he can't even see them now, but one time Wooyoung had guilted him into staying for a team practice in order to be the available ride home afterwards, and apparently shirts are not part of the dress code. Seonghwa had seen many things that day he cannot forget no matter how diligently he may (or may not) try. Wooyoung's washboard abs are one of those things.

Seonghwa glues his eyes to the page open on his lap. Now is really not the time to be getting worked up over that. So he just keeps reading while Wooyoung shoots free throws beyond the top of his book.

At some point Seonghwa breaks a sweat just sitting there, so he runs a hand through his blonde hair and leaves his self-made nest to prop open the two sets of doors at this end of the gym. The school turns the air conditioning off on the weekends, leaving a nice breeze as the only method to air out the stuffy gym. Seonghwa struggles with the cement bricks left to keep the doors opened if needed—which elicits a few amused laughs from Wooyoung, who receives a stink eye and an "oh, fuck off"—before returning to his spot and resuming reading.

Only a couple pages later, Seonghwa feels Wooyoung staring at him. He meets the younger's gaze warily. "Can I help you?" he asks.

"Come play with me," Wooyoung whines.

Seonghwa scoffs. "No."

"Wh— no—?" Wooyoung splutters. " _Hyung_ , I've been practicing free throws for like half an hour!"

"Practice… layups, or whatever."

The younger rolls his eyes. "It's not the same if someone's not challenging me."

"I'm wearing jeans."

"You don't have to move _that_ much."

"Youngie, I really need to finish this chapter. It's due tomorrow. Do you want me to fail my classes? Is that what this is? Disguised GPA sabotage right before I graduate?"

"Please," Wooyoung huffs as he sinks another free throw. He makes it look so easy. "You're so dramatic." Under his breath, probably so Seonghwa isn't meant to catch it, he mumbles, "You just don't want me to dunk on you."

Seonghwa catches it anyway. "What was that?"

Wooyoung fixes him with a steely glare. Louder, "You just don't want me to dunk on you."

"Take it back, pipsqueak," the blonde retorts. "You're not even _tall_ enough to dunk."

"Oh yeah?" Wooyoung sticks his tongue out. "I've been working on my vertical."

Oh, fuck, the images that implants in Seonghwa's head. Any time Wooyoung's muscles pass into his conscious thought, instant distraction is required. So he slips a bookmark into his book and stands up, shouldering off his jacket and throwing it on top of Wooyoung's backpack. He steadfastly ignores the way his friend's face lights up at the obvious promise of competition. Instead he keeps his narrow-eyed glare molded into his face to show Wooyoung he is not happy about this. Neither being challenged in such a disrespectful manner or actually having to move.

Wooyoung bounces the ball near the center court as Seonghwa positions himself in front of the hoop. The older likes to say he knows close to jackshit about basketball, even if it's just to piss Wooyoung off, but the younger has been playing it since they were kids and there's no way Seonghwa couldn't know at least the basics of the game. Even the hours and hours during college basketball season spent (forcibly) with Wooyoung have taught him a little something, although that has more to do with his friend shouting profanities at the players on the screen than watching the actual game.

Still, that doesn't mean Seonghwa's good at basketball. He fits more into the category of _not_ _great_ , or _highly_ _questionable_ , or maybe even straight _bad_. The most he's used for is throwing basketballs at Wooyoung so the shorter can practice speed and accuracy on his shots.

However, that doesn't mean he's not athletic. Seonghwa played soccer for a few years and even swam competitively, and he's got more than one trophy sitting proudly on the mantle at home. And while those plastic representations of excellence won't save him from getting humiliated by Wooyoung now, Seonghwa's never been one to let the little shit threaten his dignity anyway. Unfortunately, Wooyoung's learned this over the years and abuses such knowledge regularly just so Seonghwa will do whatever he wants. But it's whatever. Underneath it all, it's not like Seonghwa really minds.

"You ready?" Wooyoung asks, and Seonghwa bristles at his taunting tone.

"Try me, fucker," the blonde replies. Wooyoung only laughs.

And then completely destroys him. Seonghwa honestly doesn't know what happened, but one second Wooyoung was standing at half court then he started doing some weird dip juke moves and then the ball was in the hoop.

"What the fuck?" he deadpans as he watches the ball roll towards the bleachers. Wooyoung is cackling, and if Seonghwa gets nothing positive out of this experience, at least he gets to hear Wooyoung's laugh.

 _"Try me, fucker,"_ the younger mocks.

"Piece of shit," Seonghwa mumbles. He'll never admit it out loud but Wooyoung's gotten a lot better at basketball than he realized. It's impressive. And maddeningly hot. "Okay, I'm ready now."

"Is that what you think?" the shorter asks with a giggle that makes Seonghwa want to squish his cheeks and kick his ass at the same time. But he squares up anyway and motions for Wooyoung to come at him.

All in all, Seonghwa holds his ground. He gets into a groove and while Wooyoung scores on him occasionally, he figures out how to read his friend quickly. It might be difficult for an opponent who's never seen Wooyoung before to decipher the boy's little tells, but Seonghwa's known him forever. He's grown incredibly adept at finding patterns in Wooyoung's behavior.

It's not until the younger bites at his lip in determination and Seonghwa doesn't realize that his shoelaces have come untied that things turn bad. Wooyoung raises his arms to shoot and Seonghwa raises his own to block it and when he tries to step up, he trips and the ball flies above their heads as Seonghwa falls backward and Wooyoung's forward momentum takes him toppling down too. Seonghwa's neck tenses forward to save his head from slamming onto the floor like the rest of his body, but Wooyoung lands on him so hard it knocks all the breath out of his lungs.

They both groan, and Wooyoung struggles to reposition his hands so they're on either side of Seonghwa's head. He props himself up off the floor so he's hovering over the older, and suddenly Seonghwa becomes acutely aware of how close they are.

A thin sheen of sweat shines on Wooyoung's face. The younger is panting lightly, probably from playing and from the fall too. Seonghwa deliberately avoids Wooyoung's gaze and rakes his eyes over the wet ends of Wooyoung's hair and the gentle curve of his nose and ends up on his lips, noticing for the one millionth time how the bottom one is a little fuller than the top. The breath gets knocked out of him all over again.

Tentatively, Seonghwa bends his arms in the limited space between them to reach up and cup Wooyoung's jaw in his hands. Something about the way the younger's own breath hitches quietly sends a rush of confidence through him. With a thumb, he traces over that bottom lip like he's always wanted to. Wooyoung's mouth parts almost automatically under the touch, elbows giving out slightly to bring their faces even closer. He's uncomfortably heavy on Seonghwa and the older can't feel one of his feet, but the only thing he can focus on is the feeling of Wooyoung's lips against his skin.

Then, against everything inside his brain that tells him not to, Seonghwa flicks his eyes up to his friend's. They're shining but they're not looking back into his—instead, they're trained on something below, on… Seonghwa's own lips.

Seonghwa surges up and kisses him.

Wooyoung's arms finally give out and he leans down fully against Seonghwa, who works his mouth open carefully. No matter how soft they felt under his thumbs, Wooyoung's lips feel infinitely softer against his own. It's an intoxicating feeling, and Seonghwa chases it again and again and again. He takes Wooyoung's bottom lip between his teeth and the younger moans, which makes him groan in turn. Fuck.

He pulls away only for a second, leaving Wooyoung whining into the gap. "Date me," he breathes out. "Please."

"Okay," Wooyoung replies easily, then dives back in. Seonghwa tries to keep kissing him, but he ruins it with the way he can't stop smiling. It makes their teeth clack and Wooyoung props himself up on Seonghwa's shoulders with a pout. "Stop smiling and kiss me, idiot."

"I can't," Seonghwa says through a smile. "You'll really date me? Like be my boyfriend, everything?"

 _"Yes,"_ Wooyoung huffs out with another eye roll. Seonghwa smacks at his shoulder. "Hey!"

"Let me be happy, god. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this. To be able to ask you that."

Wooyoung blushes. "You're so embarrassing." He leans down to peck Seonghwa's lips again anyway. "But I think I do have an idea what that's like. I love you so much. I have forever."

"Hhh," Seonghwa wheezes out. "You can't say things like that. My old man heart is going to quit on me."

"Stop calling yourself an old man, I can't date an old man!" Wooyoung exclaims. Seonghwa laughs under him. "Besides, if you can't handle me just saying that, how on earth are you going to handle _dating_ _me_?"

"Dear god," the older groans. He leans up to capture Wooyoung's lips again, mostly just to shut him up. But he ends up getting lost in the feeling and he's busy mapping out Wooyoung's mouth when one of the gym doors slams shut. The younger pulls back with a surprised yelp, granting Seonghwa a moment to lie back and take in everything that just happened.

Holy shit. He just made out with Wooyoung in the high school gym.

"Alright, up, up, up," Seonghwa pants out, pushing at Wooyoung's shoulders to get him to roll off his body.

"Was I crushing your ribs, old man?" Wooyoung asks in a mocking tone only softened by the fond eye roll that accompanies it. Is everything Seonghwa says really that eye-roll worthy?

"No, I just want to kiss you somewhere that's not the grimy gym floor."

Wooyoung looks at the floor with a grimace. "Ew, that's a good point."

Seonghwa laughs and manages to stand up on wobbly legs. He offers his hand to Wooyoung, who takes it and then doesn't let go. Fuck. Wooyoung's the cutest person alive.

The younger only lets go to retrieve his basketball and close the doors while Seonghwa stuffs his book into Wooyoung's backpack and slings it over his own shoulders. He smiles stupidly at the JUNG, 7 he knows is embroidered on the front of the backpack. Fuck yeah, that's his boyfriend.

A hand slips into his own again, and he glances over to see Wooyoung smiling at him. Fuck. Seonghwa loves to joke about his old man organs but if he gets to see Wooyoung smile at him like this every day, his heart might actually give out. This shit beats out anything else Seonghwa's ever seen.

"Come on, boyfriend," Wooyoung sings, tugging on the older's hand. Seonghwa follows him back to the outside, where the sun is brighter than ever and it still doesn't compare to Wooyoung's smile, to the feeling of it against Seonghwa's. Damn it, he's been in an official relationship with the love of his life for fifteen minutes and he's already disgustingly soft.

"Drive me home?" Wooyoung asks after he's locked up. Seonghwa hums an easy assent. The younger taps his thumb nervously against Seonghwa's palm, and the blonde knows he doesn't realize it. "And… will you stay over?"

A smile spreads over Seonghwa's face and he stops them to press another kiss against Wooyoung's lips. It's Sunday so nobody else is on campus but Seonghwa has a feeling he's not going to care even when it's Monday and there are people. He'll kiss Jung Wooyoung whenever he likes, thank you very much.

"As long as you want me," he promises.

Wooyoung giggles. "You might never leave then."

Seonghwa presses in again. "Mm, that's okay with me."

They kiss for a few moments longer before Wooyoung is laughing and pulling away, hitting his hands lightly against Seonghwa's chest. "At home, at home. Come _on_."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Seonghwa snorts, this time with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows that has Wooyoung yelping and slapping at him a little more aggressively.

Seonghwa laughs. He's grateful for everything about Wooyoung. The way he dragged him out of the house today, the way he egged him into playing basketball, the way he kissed back with everything he had. The way he smiles, the way he loves Seonghwa back. 

The way Seonghwa can see in everything that Wooyoung does that they're going to be okay from here. Things are going to change, obviously, but they're only going to get better. Because at Wooyoung's nextbasketball game, Seonghwa's going to be able to run onto the gym floor where they kissed the first time and kiss him again just like he's always wanted to. And he'll kiss him again and again and again.

**Author's Note:**

> you can probably tell but i ACTUALLY know jackshit about basketball. i just thought basketball player!wooyoung would be hot, so, sigh.
> 
> im working on more ateez works that hopefully i can get posted in a timely manner, but knowing me that probably won't happen. here's to hoping!
> 
> thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed ♡


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